I am currently getting ready for SAME-TEC (Semiconductor, automated manufacturing, electronics – training and education conference).  I have a four-hour presentation/workshop to prepare.  Four hours is a lot of time to cover, so of course I am going to use PowerPoint to help me.

Then Gordon Synder and Mike Qaissaunee have to go and post their podcast 10 Questions with Karl Kapp. 

We all know what Death by PowerPoint is.  We probably have all suffered it during the beginning of the semester convocations or many training seminars.  When, paraphrasing Karl, the presenter forgot that PowerPoint is the tool, not the presentation by itself.  When you can read the information off the slide before the presenter has time to read it word by word.  When you wonder if lunch is going to be any good.  My presentation, while avoiding some of the more grievous errors, was still death by PowerPoint.

Luckily, Karl does give an example of bad and good PowerPoint slides.  Gordon and Mike had done another Podcast on Death by PowerPoint as well that I listened to again.  Now, with lessons learned, the participants in my presentation will not be dead by boredom by the end of my presentation, or at least not by my PowerPoint.  I will use PowerPoint as a tool.  It will not be the presentation.

Anyone have any good tips to give when doing presentations?  Any other good PowerPoint tips?  How about horror stories of your own?

Mark Viquesney